Journal lubricator



Aug.13,1968 E SPEARCE- 3,397,018

JOURNAL LUBRI CATOR Filed June 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug- 13, 1968 E. s. PEARCE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1965 INVENTOR. f. Waffe, MM Y M United States Patent O 3,397,018 JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Edwin S. Pearce, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Ayrshire Collieries Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed June 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,341 10 Claims. (Cl. 308-88) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A railway journal lubricator is formed of two or more oil absorbent pads each carried by a leaf spring extending chordally of the rounded bottom of the journal box and resiliently holding the pad in Contact with the underside of the journal. The leaf spring ends are curved up ward to lie tangential to the box wall and the springs are interconnected at such ends by heavy webbing straps to form a unitary assembly, adapted to be inserted in and removed from the journal box as a unit. The webbing straps provide frictional facing at the spring ends to engage the box wall and frictionally inhibit movement of the pad assembly from proper position during operating conditions.

Background ofthe invention This invention relates to lubricating devices, and more particularly to devices for lubricating journals of the kind used in railway cars.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a self-contained lubricating device which will hold two or more lubricating pads in engagement with the journal under substantially constant light unit pressure, and will be especially adapted to employ the advantageous pads described in United States Patent No. 3,077,366; which, in a single size unit, will be applicable to the various sizes of journal boxes in general use on the American railways and can be placed into the journal box as a self-contained and complete unit without the necessity for adapters, retainers, or other fittings in the journal boxes; and which will be held in proper engagement with the journal under appropriate force under all conditions and irrespective of size differences among the journals and journal boxes. Another object of my invention is to provide a lubricating device meeting the foregoing objectives which will also effectively feed oil to the journal from a supply in the lower portion of the journal box, will be readily removable from the journal box to be renovated and replaced, and will meet other operating and service requirements.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the invention, the lubricating device is a self-contained unit comprising two or more lubricating pads as required to lubricate each journal, with each pad fixedly attached to a specially shaped leaf spring bridge or beam having up-turned ends for support from opposite, upwardly-curved portions of the curved lower walls of the journal box, and the spring bridge members are interconnected at their ends by connecting means which is suiciently stili to hold the bridge members in spaced relation but suiciently flexible to facilitate insertion and removal of the unit, and which is adapted to frictionally engage the supporting wall portions of the box to resist displacement of the unit from its installed position. The flexible, frictional interconnecting means is desirably formed of lengths of heavy cotton or other cloth webbing, folded over the upward curved ends of the spring bridge support beams and secured thereto as by rivets or staples. The up-turned ends of the spring-bridge sup-ports are arranged to lie substantially tangentially with respect to the curved walls of the journal box, so that the interconnecting webbing lies at between the tangentially related wall and spring-ends.

At one end of the unit, the cloth webbing members are desirably extended to provide pull-out members by which the pad unit can be inserted and removed from the journal box. The lubricating pads used are desirably of the type shown in Patent No. 3,077,366. Each pad desirably comprises a sheet of coarsely woven fabric from one face of which projects a multiplicity of long twisted loops of coarse string or the like, the sheet being folded with an accordion fold and having its center plies secured together and to the spring bridge, and being wide enough to form a pad which will engage the journal continuously over a substantial distance circumferentially of the journal, preferably at least equal to the diameter of the journal. The end plies of folded material desirably hang downward on opposite sides of the spring bridge and dip into a pool of oil in the bottom of the journal box.

Brief description of the drawings In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of my invention:

FIG. l is an axial section through a railway car journal box which, except for incorporation of my lubricating means, is of generally standard construction;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through a journal box showing two spring bridges properly spaced along the folded over cotton webbing;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section through a pad and its spring bridge, taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section of the pad taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmental sectional view of an enlarged scale showing a lpreferred form of lubricating pad material.

Description of the preferred embodiments A conventional railway car journal construction shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 comprises a journal box 10 which receives a journal 11 on the end of an axle 12. The load of the railway car is transmitted between the journal box 10 and the journal 11 through a bearing shoe 13 of any desired construction. At its outer end, the journal box 10 has an opening 14 which provides lfor access to the lubricating device and for the replacement of lubricant.

In the arrangement shown in the drawing, the journal 11 is lubricated by a lubricating unit which includes two lubricating devices of similar construction which make oiling contact over substantially the entire axial length of the oiling surface of the journal. Each such lubricating device comprises a lubricating pad 16 and a spring bridge 18 which extends chordally across the journal box below the journal 11. A cotton webbing strap 20 desirably underlies each spring bridge, and at each side of the unit the ends of the spring bridges 18 and the straps 20 are received and attached between the folds of a folded-over strip of heavy cotton webbing 22. The webbing strips 22 form relatively stiff but flexible side members interconnecting the two lubricating devices and holding them in proper spaced relation. The two lubricating devices become one operative unit by their attachment and predetermined spacing along the webbing stri-ps 22 and, together, these parts form a self-contained journal lubricator unit which can be handled as such with relative ease, and which provides a complete lubricating unit without any necessity for other parts or members.

The lubricating pad which I prefer to use comprises a strip of coarsely woven fabric 30 (FIG. 6) having a width equal to the length of the desired lubricating pad measured circumferentially of the journal. Coarse thread or string is punctured through the interstices of the strip 30 to form elongated, closely spaced twisted loops 31 distributed over one face of the strip. After formation of the loops 31, the strip is folded with an accordion fold as indicated in FIG. 4. As shown, the folding provides four intermediate plies or thicknesses 32 and two end plies 33, the end plies 33 being substantially longer lthan the intermediate plies 32. To secure the pad in folded condition, wire staples or clips 34 are applied to its ends, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, such staples embracing all the plies of the pad and desirably being located near the folds at which the end plies 33 join the adjacent intermediate plies 32. The pad thus folded and retained in folded condition is secured to the spring bridge 18 by staples 35 each having an intermediate portion 36 which passes transversely beneath the spring bridge 18 and cotton webbing strips 20, and hook-like end portions 3-7 which are forced through the intermediate plies 32 of the pad. The cotton wedding strip is of substantially the same width as the spring bridge 18 and lies against the spring bridge on the side opposite the lubricating pad 16. Such webbing 20` is secured in place by the staples 35 which secure the spring bridge and the lubricating pad together. In assemblying the pad and its spring bridge, it is convenient to do so with the pad inverted from the position shown in FIG. 4 so that the end plies 33 will hang downwardly and expose the intermediate plies which are to be secured to the spring bridge 18. After the staples 35 are applied and the assembly restored to the position shown in FIG. 4, the end plies 33 hang downwardly on opposite sides of the spring bridge 18. When the assembly is installed in a journal box, the end plies 33 form skirts which extend downwardly to the bottom of the journal box into a pool of lubricant provided therein and serve, through capillary attraction, to feed such lubricant to that portion of the pad which lies above the spring bridge 18 and engages the journal. The skirts formed by the end plies 33 also serve as baffles opposing surging and splashing of the lubricant in the bottom of the journal box.

The lubricating device `as above described may be proportioned to fit and function in journal boxes in any of the sizes which are more or'less standard for American railroads. Most journals in use on American railroads are one or another of three diameters-namely, 5 inches, 51/2 inches, 'and 6 inches; and such journals are commonly used in journal boxes having approximate widths of 8 inches, 81/2 inches, and 9 inches, respectively. A lubricating unit in which the spring bridges 18 have an over-all length, unstressed, af approximately 81/2 inches is suitable for use in all such journal boxes. Conveniently, each spring bridge is formed of a 91/8 inch of spring steel stock having a width of about 2% inches and a thickness of 0.020 inch, and is bent on a radius of `about 71A inches in a downward direction to form a central upward camber; and approximately 2 inch portions at the ends are reversely upwardly curved on radii of 11/2 inches about centers spaced about 513716 inches lengthwise of the spring bridge. Each end of the spring bridge 18 is provided with a central elongated slot for the reception of rivets 24 inserted during nal assembly to secure the folded-over webbing straps 22 to the spring bridges 18.

The over-all length of the spring bridges 18, and hence the over-all width of the lubricator, may be substantially equal to the width between the side walls of the journal box, that is, approximately twice the length of the radius of curvature of the journal. box bottom wall. As a result, the lubricator when in place in the journal box will be supported by the upwardly curved upper portions of the bottom wall of lthe journal box, as shown in FIG. 2, and the supporting journal box surface will be engaged by the frictional pads formed at the ends of the spring bridges by the folded-over strips of cotton webbing 22. The upturned ends of the spring bridges andthe adjacent curved wall of the journal box will lie in substantially tangential relationship with the outer layer of cotton webbing 22 between them.

A single size of lubricator as described above will lit all three of the common sizes of journalboxes used on American railways, and in all cases, the central. portion of each spring -bridge will lie substantially chordally of the curved bottom wall of the journal box and will support its attached pad 16 with substantially the same upward pressure against the journal. The frictional engagement of the webbing against the inner surface of the journal box will tend to maintain the lubricator in position and prevent its displacement.

The construction and arrangement of the lubricator permits the unit pressure of the pad 16 against the journal 11 to be relatively low, and low enough so that the inclination of the twisted loops 31 relative to the pad base will change with changes in the direction of journal rotation. This low unit pressure, in combination with the individuality and coarseness of the loops, provides for such changes in the inclination or position of the twisted loops and causes the loops to present new surfaces in contact with the journal, and this in turn effectively prevents the ironing or glazing which tends to occur on railway journal lubricating pad surfaces. The continual renewing of the surfaces in contact with the journal insures the maintenance of an adequate oil feed to the journal surface.

FIG. 6 shows the preferred material used in forming the pad 16. The pad base 30 may be of any appropriate fabric, but is preferably a medium weight cotton duck. The loops 31 may be of any loosely twisted, relatively coarse cord or string but preferably of a material known in the trade as yarn cotton five ply-4. The loops are desirably approximately 2 inches in length and distributed over the base 30 on 1% inch centers. A pad formed as ydescribed is desirably laundered before being placed in use. Such laundering, by removing size from the material of the loops 31, increases the ability of the loops to feed oil. The laundrying also, by its effect in shrinking the material of the loops, causes each loop to assume a twisted condition, as shown in FIG. 6. Such twisting of the loops tends to preserve their individual identity, which prevents the tangling of the loops into a matted mass in a manner which would interfere with the above-mentioned loop movement when the direction of rotation of the journal changes.

I have found it desirable to confine the staples 35 which secure the pad 16 and its spring bridge 18 together, to a region adjacent the center of the spring bridge, distributing them along the support only to the extent necessary to prevent objectionable swiveling of the pad about a vertical axis.

In installing my lubricating device in the journal box of a railway car, the car is jacked up to permit removal of the shoes 13 and then is lowered until the roofs of the journal boxes rest on the journals, thus increasing the gap between the bottom wall of each journal box and the end flange 11 of the journal. The spring bridges 18 of the lubricating device are flexed to the extent necessary to permit the device to be inserted through the opening 14 and below the ange 11' to bring the device into the position shown in FIG. 1. Release of the exing effort permits the ends of the spring bridge to move away from each other and into contact with the inner wall surface of the journal box. The car is then jacked up, and the `shoes 13 replaced, to bring the journal 11 and the lubricating device to the relationship shown in FIG. 2.

I claim:

1. A self-contained railway journal lubricator adapted to lubricate a journal in a journal box having a generally cylindrical bottom wall, comprising two or more transverse spring bridges for supporting lubricating pads, each spring bridge being a leaf spring member having a central portion adapted to extend chordally of said journal box wall, and upwardly curved end portions adapted to lie in substantially tangential supported relation with said journal box wall, v

a thick pad of oiling material carried by each bridge member in position to make oiling contact with the journal over a substantial arcuate extent of the journal,

interconnecting means extending between the bridge members at the up-turned ends thereof, interconnecting the same to form a unitary assembly of the bridge members and pads, and holding the bridge members in substantially parallel relation and thereby maintaining the lubricating pads in closely spaced relation to make oiling contact with substantially axially contiguous portions of the journal,

said interconnecting means being sufficiently stiff to maintain said bridge members and pads in said relation but sufliciently flexible to permit insertion and removal of the lubricator in the journal box,

and frictional facing means carried at the ends of the spring bridges to make frictional engagement with the wall of the journal box to support the spring bridges in chordal relation therein and to frictionally oppose displacement of the lubricator.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means and said frictional facing means at each end of the bridge members are the same fabric member.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means and said frictional facing means at each end of the bridge members are the same member and are formed of cotton webbing folded over on itself and fastened to the ends of the spring bridges.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which each pad comprises a strip of coarsely woven fabric having twisted loops distributed on one side and being folded in an accordion fold to form a plurality of plies, including end plies and a plurality of intermediate plies, said intermediate plies being secured in superposed relation and said plies being joined by folds which extend transversely of the strip of fabric and longitudinally of the spring bridge, whereby when said lubricator is installed in the journal box the pads will be held with their folds extending transversely of the journal axis.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said lubricator consists of two lubricating pads which together make oiling contact over substantially the entire axial length of the oiling surface of the journal.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which each lubricating pad is of a length to make oiling contact with the journal over an arcuate length at least equal to the diameter of the journal.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said lubricating pad is folded in an accordion fold having a plurality of intermediate plies and longer end plies adapted to hang downward into the lower portion of the journal box to feed 4oil therefrom to the oiling surface and to serve as baies against surging.

8. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means and said frictional facing means are the same and extend beyond the lubricating pad at one end of the lubricator to provide pull-out means for removing the lubricator from the journal box, said pullout extensions comprising folded-over cotton webbing having eyelets therein.

9. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said spring bridges, in normally unstressed condition, have an upwardly cambered center portion and upwardly curved end portions.

10. A self-contained railway journal lubricator adapted to lubricate a journal in a journal box having a generally cylindrical bottom wall, comprising a transverse spring bridge for supporting a lubricating pad, said spring bridge being a leaf spring member having a central portion adapted to extend chordally of said journal box wall, and upwardly curved end portions adapted to lie in substantially tangential relation with said journal box wall,

a thick pad of oiling material carried by said bridge member in position to make oiling contact with the journal over a substantial arcuate extent of the journal,

and frictional facing means carried at the ends of the spring bridge to make frictional engagement with the wall of the journal box to support the spring bridge in chordal relation therein and to frictionally oppose displacement of the lubricator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 675,240 5/ 1901 Parsons 308-88 1,737,393 11/1929 Sterling 308-88 2,115,457 4/1938 Cunningham et al. 308-88 2,758,893 8/1956 MCLeOd 308-87 2,956,842 10/1960 Koch 308-243 X 2,984,527 5/1961 Baker 308-243 X 3,077,366 2/1963 Pearce 308-88 MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner. 

